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Title: Military reviews placing special ops on U.S. soil
Source:
Examiner.com Hartford Connecticut
URL Source: http://www.examiner.com/a-790871~Mi ... ps%20on%20U%2ES%2E%20soil.html
Published: Jun 21, 2007
Author: Rowan Scarborough
Post Date: 2007-06-26 23:41:43 by rack42
Keywords: NorthCom, terrorism
Views: 121
Comments: 6
WASHINGTON - The U.S. military command in charge of protecting the homeland asked the Pentagon earlier this year for a contingent of special operations officers to help with domestic anti-terrorism missions. Military sources told The Examiner that U.S. Northern Command, established at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado in 2002, requested its own special operations command similar to ones assigned to overseas war-fighting commands, such as U.S. Central Command. A spokeswoman for NorthCom this week issued a statement to The Examiner saying, "This capability resides in every other geographical combatant command and would allow the commander of U.S. Northern Command to deploy these unique capabilities for homeland defense and civil support operations." The request was approved six months ago by the then-commander of NorthCom, Adm. Timothy Keating, who has since moved to U.S. Pacific Command. But now, the new NorthCom commander, Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, is reviewing Keating's decision. On Wednesday, Lt. Col. John Cornelio, a NorthCom spokesman, told The Examiner: "U.S. Northern Command is currently reassessing our requirement for special operations forces to accomplish our homeland defense and civil support missions. While the initial request for a small element of SOF staff for planning and command and control purposes was requested under the previous commander, the new commander ... has not made a decision on this issue." Keating's request to the Pentagon raised some eyebrows because of the sensitivity of deploying commandos domestically. Under U.S. Special Operations Command, covert warriors are playing a key role in fighting terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere overseas. "The possibility for military operations in the U.S. is something that we have to plan for in the age of international terrorism," said Daniel Gallington, a former policy adviser to former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The Bush administration created NorthCom, one of the military's nine war-fighting commands, after the Sept. 11 attacks revealed deep flaws in the military's procedures for repelling an attack on American soil. The idea of giving NorthCom a commando unit shows how the military increasingly looks at the U.S. homeland as a target for more terrorist attacks and how it may need elite counter-terrorism forces to deal with the threat.
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#5. To: rack42 (#0)
http://images.google.com/imgres? imgurl=http://www.fbi.gov/headlines/jttfjacket2h.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fbi.go v/page2/dec04/jttf120114.htm&h=312&w=312&sz=31&hl=en&start=25&tbnid=Msq8CWXUgUpp XM:&tbnh=117&tbnw=117&prev=/images%3Fq%3DSWAT%2BTERRORIST%26start%3D20%26gbv% 3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN PROTECTING AMERICA AGAINST TERRORIST ATTACK A Closer Look at the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Forces 12/01/04 They are our nation's front line on terrorism: small cells of highly trained, locally based, passionately committed investigators, analysts, linguists, SWAT experts, and other specialists from dozens of U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies. When it comes to investigating terrorism, they do it all: chase down leads, gather evidence, make arrests, provide security for special events, conduct training, collect and share intelligence, and respond to threats and incidents at a moment's notice. They are the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Forces, or JTTFs. Where are they based? In 100 cities nationwide, including at least one in each of our 56 field offices. Sixty-five of these JTTFs were created after 9/11/01. How many members? 3,723 nationwide—more than four times the pre-9/11 total— including 2,196 Special Agents, 838 state/local law enforcement officers, and 689 professionals from other government agencies (the Department of Homeland Security, the CIA, and the Transportation Security Administration, to name a few). The first JTTF? New York City, established way back in 1980. The newest? Actually, there are 16 of them: in Montgomery, Alabama; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Fresno, California; Colorado Springs, Colorado; West Palm Beach, Florida; Bloomington, Indiana; Covington, Kentucky; Portland, Maine; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Helena, Montana; Erie, Pennsylvania; Providence, Rhode Island; Midland, Lubbock, and Plano, Texas; and Everett, Washington. Their contributions? More than we could possibly capture here, but JTTFs have been instrumental in breaking up cells like the "Portland Seven," the "Lackawanna Six," and the Northern Virginia jihad. They've traced sources of terrorist funding, responded to anthrax threats, halted the use of fake IDs, and quickly arrested suspicious characters with all kinds of deadly weapons and explosives. Chances are, if you hear about a counterterrorism investigation, JTTFs are playing an active and often decisive role. How do these JTTFs coordinate their efforts? Largely through the interagency National Joint Terrorism Task Force, working out of FBI Headquarters, which makes sure that information and intelligence flows freely among the local JTTFs. And here's the final—and most important—thing you should know about these JTTFs: They are working 24/7/365 to protect you, your families, and your communities from terrorist attack. Link: FBI War on Terrorism Hi, we're with the government and we're here to help ya !!!
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Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestThe idea of giving NorthCom a commando unit shows how the military increasingly looks at the U.S. homeland as a target for more terrorist attacks and how it may need elite counter-terrorism forces to deal with the threat.
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